Music for parental and infant wellbeing: From pregnancy to early parenthood

Associate Professor Triona Mc Caffrey, joint winner of the President's Research Excellence and Impact Early Career Researcher – Starting Award 2025

In this episode, we hear from Triona Mc Caffrey, Associate Professor of music therapy, at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, a member of the Participatory Health Research Unit, and the Health Research Institute here at the University of Limerick. We discuss Triona’s research, primarily focused on music and music therapy for mental wellbeing, with a specific focus on adult and perinatal mental health. Triona has spearheaded interdisciplinary research across Music Therapy, midwifery, psychiatry, and obstetrics with a strong emphasis on Public and Patient Involvement (PPI). 

Triona is joined by Maria Gibbons, Advanced Midwife Practitioner, with the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Team, at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick. Triona’s pioneering collaborations with University Maternity Hospital Limerick has led to the first music therapy programme in specialist perinatal mental health services in Ireland; this programme has been commended by the Department of Health. Listen to this in-depth conversation on how music therapy is instrumental in supporting parents connecting with their babies, positively impacting infant wellbeing.